Catherine Sager was born in Ohio in 1835, the third of seven children of Henry and Naomi Sager. Sager was a pioneer farmer, blacksmith and workman; Naomi a teacher. Elizabeth, their fourth child, was born in 1837.

The Sagers moved from place to place in Ohio, and in 1838 traveled to Missouri. In 1844, having heard of Marcus Whitman's venture across the Rockies, they decided to follow him to Oregon. During the course of the journey, Henry and Naomi Sager both died, and their seven children (one was born on the journey) were taken by a friend to the Whitman mission, where they were adopted by Marcus and Narcissa Whitman. The mission was attacked by Indians in 1847 and two of the Sager children, John and Louisa, were killed, as were the Whitmans. Catherine Sager married Clark Pringle in 1851. Elizabeth Sager, after spending a few years living with different families as a servant, went to live with the Pringles shortly after their marriage and became a teacher.

Collection Overview

This collection consists of two transcripts. Catherine Sager wrote a memoir of the family's trip to Oregon, of the Whitman mission and life with the Whitman family, and of the 1847 massacre. It is a detailed and vivid account of frontier life and hardships in the mid-nineteenth century. The original Catherine Sager memoir was transcribed by her granddaughter in 1954. Copies of this transcript were made by a scholar and given to various institutions.

The other transcript is of a letter written by Elizabeth Sager to an unidentified uncle, describing the same events in a few pages. Elizabeth Sager's letter was published in the Mitchell (Nebraska) Index.

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Did you know that the First Presbyterian Church, Houston was founded on this day in 1839? Keep reading to learn more fun facts about Presbyterian history from our friends at the Presbyterian Heritage Center at Montreat. The Presbyterian Heritage Center of Montreat provides interactive displays and rotating museum exhibits that are educational and engaging for everyone, plus we offer a research and resource library for sch This Day In History -- March -- Presbyterian Heritage Center